The View from England: Early signs of romance for British miners
Workers underground at Strongbow Exploration’s South Crofty tin-copper project in southwest England. Credit: Strongbow Exploration.
Hard on the heels of the most depressing time of the year in the U.K. (commonly regarded as the third week of January) we have had uplifting celebrations in Scotland and Wales on the same day, January 25.
On that date, the Scottish celebrate the birth in 1759 of their national poet, Robert (Rabbie) Burns. Much of his poetry is impenetrable to English ears (perhaps that’s the appeal). In his “Address to a Haggis”, for example, Burns penned: “Fair fa’ your honest, sonsie face, great chieftain o’ the puddin-race! Aboon them a’ ye tak your place, painch, tripe, or thairm: Weel are ye wordy o’ a grace as lang’s my airm.” I am reliably advised that: fa = befall; sonsie = jolly; aboon = above; a’ = all; painch = stomach; thairm = intestine; weel = well; and wordy = worth